


Tempus

by Rosie_5253



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:22:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25835686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie_5253/pseuds/Rosie_5253
Summary: The return of Severus' life, his planned life, was coming soon. Will the arrival of his son jeopardize all that he worked for, or is his son the key to it all?
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 5
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

“What in Merlin’s name were you thinking?” The low hissing sound of Severus’ drawl emanated through the room he called his laboratory in Grimmauld Place. “Bringing him here? The damage you could cause? Albus, why?”

A young boy with glasses and short silky hair sat on a stool in the corner of the room. He quietly observed the men arguing in the room. No one noticed the small flecks of salty water pooling in his emerald eyes. 

The old man calmly placed a hand on Severus’ shoulder, “my boy, his location was discovered. We acted as quickly as we could. This is the only safe house guarded enough, would you not agree?” The boy finally sniffed in the corner, drawing the attention of the two men. 

Severus sighed and took a step away from Albus to place a hand on his son’s cheek, wiping away the single tear that the boy could not withhold. “It is too soon.” The man whispered to Albus. “If this changes - “

Albus held a hand up, “I have faith in you - in the both of you.” With that, he left the laboratory and disapparated from Grimmauld Place. 

“I’m sorry, Papa.” The boy whispered.

With an exasperated sigh Severus pinched the bridge of his hooked nose “you’ve nothing to be sorry for.”

“I know you don’t want me here.” He mumbled. “I’m sure we can find a new safe house for you to send me to.”

Severus lifted the boy's chin, meeting those green eyes, forcing himself not to flinch. “Apollo, all I have ever wished for is your safety. You are my first allegiance, always.” The years had been hard on them both, an uncomfortable tension settling between them after Apollo’s Dad had disappeared. “Come, let us retire. I’d also like to hear about your journey here.”

The boy sniffled and hopped off the stool. “Auror Shacklebolt came with Uncle Remus and Auror Tonks! I got to see Charlie Weasley too! We flood here from the Dragon Preserve and he let me see some! They were massive! I can’t believe Harry Potter defeated one at 14, Papa!” The excited chatter of the boy filled the sleeping halls of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He didn’t notice the subtle flinch by his father as he continued to relay the exact scale color of a Welsh Green to his father. 

Severus guided the boy through the hallways of the dreary house. He carefully corrected his son’s path to avoid any of the particularly horrendous zones of the home. When the boy drew silent, Severus knew their evening would not be simple. Quietly, Severus whispered the password to release the wards he habitually placed on his quarters and let the boy enter.  
“Papa, if Romania isn’t safe for me anymore, will I be returning to Durmstrang this fall?” The child had wailed for weeks when he received his Hogwarts letter on his 11th birthday and was informed that he would not be attending his parent’s alma mater. It was too dangerous and could alter the timeline tremendously if they ever discovered the truth. 

Severus wordlessly enlarged his son’s belongings and set the clothes and odds and ends unpacking neatly throughout the room. “Apollo, I-” an uncomfortable pause filled the dark room “that remains to be seen.”

The boy sighed loudly and collapsed unceremoniously on the newly transfigured bed. “And I won’t get a say? I don’t want to be at Durmstrang, Papa. I want to be with you - why do you always send me away!” The argument was not new by any means. No, they had fought about this particular subject many times over the last several years. And worse, the boy was right - Severus did send him away. “I miss you, Papa.” The whispered secret of the young boy haunted Severus, all he had done since the child’s Dad left was push him away. Looking into those emerald eyes stung his aching heart, and peeled the scabs off his mending soul.

“I miss you too, son. More than you know.” Severus admitted and knelt down to face Apollo. “One day, one day soon, you will understand why I have done what I have. I promise we will work this all out soon.” Severus carded a hand through Apollo’s hair and gently kissed his forehead, a rare sign of affection he afforded the boy. Apollo sniffed and nodded before clumsily attaching himself to his father in a desperate hug. 

“Now, please ready yourself for bed. I expect you downstairs for breakfast at 8 sharp.” The man instructed and got along with readying himself for bed. He carefully hung his cloak up and his nimble, well-practiced fingers made quick work of the numerous buttons fastening his tunic together. The task of unbuttoning his clothes was perhaps his least favorite, too many memories swam forth and forced himself to remember a time long ago. A time where calloused fingers stroked his cheek before they slowly man their way down his chest. The memories of the first frantic need to aid his partner in the removal of his clothing, for more skin, for more contact, for more. No, Severus did not like to remember soft lips caressing his skin and the caring yet tantalizingly slow speed of his partner working on divesting him of his layers, successfully peeling layer by layer away leaving him bare for only one. The playful whispers in the early hours of the morning “I will have no part in dressing you, it would be a sin to cover your body, love.”

The memories of the past always flooded him at night. They only haunted him in the evenings when he was too weak to keep them at bay. 

Severus was startled back into the musty old room in Grimmauld place by his son clambering into his bed and loudly sighing as he found a comfortable position. “Good night, Papa.” The child murmured. 

As the professor continued to strip, he cleared his mind. Nothingness was a state of ease for the man. One he had grown too accustomed to over the years. The only thing that pulled him out of his meditation was the unsightly mark on his left arm. Two copper bands encircled his arm, trapping the magic of the mark. They symbolized hours of painstaking research by his partner. The love and care the man had for him. The love he rejected when his husband vanished 6 years ago. 

Settling into bed after completing his nightly routine, he made sure to face his son. The boy was curled up tightly in a ball, facing the enchanted bedroom window that only revealed bits of stars at night. Severus was sure the boy would have a nightmare that evening. He’d debated providing a dose of Dreamless Sleep but decided against it. Apollo's dad had always been against Dreamless Sleep potions, and while Severus had disagreed with his partners’ assertions that dreams were windows into the condition of our souls, he couldn’t bring himself to revert to his old ways. Instead, he listened to the quiet breaths of his child, as he had done since his infancy, and waited for any sign of distress. Severus may be a strict, stoic, and sharp man, but he would do anything for his family.


	2. Chapter 2

Severus’ efforts were rewarded when soft whimpering emanated from the child curled in a ball. “Daddy. Daddy. Daddy, please!” The soft cries of his son made Severus’ heartache. These same cries used to infuriate him. They reminded him of the betrayal of his husband. Now, though, having learned the truth, these muffled cries sent pangs of grief throughout his body. “Don’t go!”

Severus gently stroked his son’s cheek and whispered words of comfort to the boy. “Hush, child. Take a deep breath.” Apollo’s eyes shot open and his hands desperately clawed into Severus’ nightclothes. “I hate him. I hate him, Papa.” Venom filled the child’s voice, a sound that, though familiar to Severus’ ears, was shocking coming from his boy. 

“Hush, take a deep breath and clear your mind.” There was nothing he could say to the boy to convince him to let go of the hatred he felt for his Dad. Severus himself wasn’t quite sure if he had forgiven the man, so how could he expect a 12-year-old boy to do so? Severus silently cursed the Death Eaters that discovered his son’s whereabouts. The hurt the boy now felt only surfaced like this when he was stressed. 

“Why don’t you hate him, Papa? You used to.” The boy sniffed. 

Without realizing, Severus sighed deeply and stroked his son’s hair. 

A complicated question. One that the boy had demanded an answer to many times. 

“Son, one day, soon, you will realize the necessity of our actions. Only then can you begin to understand why your Dad left us.” 

The boy did not respond and Severus couldn’t blame him. ‘You’ll understand when you’re older’ was an infuriating line to feed to children. It was one his husband particularly detested, and yet he had put Severus in a position that demanded such a response. So, he let the boy rest his head on his lap and stroked his hair until the sounds of soft snores met his ears. Severus couldn’t help but smirk, the boy got his dramatics from his Dad. 

A knock on his door startled him from his thoughts, a surprising feat. He adjusted his son from his lap and stood to answer the door. As he donned his robe, another obnoxious  _ rapt, rapt, rapt  _ struck his door. Severus swung the door open in annoyance, “what?” he demanded. 

Potter stood before him, wearing only a ratty pair of hand-me-down shorts that reeked of a shrinking charm. “Sorry, sir. Remus isn’t here.” The teenager muttered. Severus watched the young man rub at this scar. 

The boy wouldn’t stop fidgeting, nor would he finish his explanation. “Well?”

He dropped his hand from his scar and glared at the Professor. The mark was inflamed, Severus noted, and small droplets of blood were forming along the bolt. “Vol- The Dark Lord is planning an attack on Muggle London, I had a vision.”

Severus nodded and summoned a handkerchief for Potter. “And do you know when this attack will occur?” He drawled. 

Harry flushed and took the hanky from the man, shaking his head. “No, but I think it’s a distraction. I think he’s planning something else.” The Professor nodded, eyes becoming distant has he contemplated the Chosen One’s words. “I know you have… connections” the boy all but hissed in reference to Severus’ former crowd. 

The Professor merely raised an eyebrow at the teenager. 

Harry refused to finish the sentence and boldly stared the man down. 

Severus wanted to snort but refrained. Barely. “I will consult with my  _ connections _ . If you truly believe this is a ploy to mask The Dark Lord’s true plot, we must consider if he is masking an attempt to retrieve one of his Horcruxes.” Potter vigorously nodded, clearly on track with his Professor’s assumptions. “Now, I suggest you send a Patronus to the Headmaster, The Order will have to make plans immediately.”

Once again, the boy flushed. His eyes dropped to the floor and Severus could see the heat crawl up Potter’s neck and shoulders. “Well- you see, sir. I left my wand in my room, and if I go back Ron will definitely wake up and I won’t hear the end of it, so I was just going to sleep downstairs so I don’t have to rehash and then-” 

Severus shook his head and held up a hand to stop the young man’s incessant chattering. “I will alert the Headmaster. Do not let me catch you without your wand again, Potter. If it had been someone nefarious you would likely be dead already.” The hissed words made Potter flinch but he nodded. 

As Severus summoned his wand from across the room, he eyed Potter who simply stood still at the door. “Do you intend on standing there all night?” 

Potter scratched the back of his head and handed the handkerchief back to his Professor. As he opened his mouth to retort, the young boy curled up in the bed across the room let out a loud snore, alerting Potter of his presence. Severus silently cursed his son’s timing but moved to block Potter’s view of the room. “Is there someone in there?” 

Severus rolled his eyes, “not that it is of any concern to you, but my son arrived this evening. Good night.” The Professor quickly closed his door, stopping Potter from asking further questions. 

Before heading to bed, Severus quickly sent word to Albus of Potter’s concerning revelation. He was dreading the coming day. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AJ meets the trio.

Spying was a delicate career-choice. One that limited the assurances most people had for their day-to-day life. Severus had gotten used to the ever-constant trepidation of the unknown in his life. He accepted that he could only control himself. That said, without a doubt, he knew that breakfast at Grimmauld Place was not going to be a pleasurable affair. He needed no seer to tell him that it would be wise to skip the meal altogether and hole up in his quarters, or better yet disappear entirely. Unfortunately, he had a responsibility to his son and he could not feed him to the lions alone.   
Apollo hummed when he readied himself for the day. A painful reminder of past mornings. Severus doubted his son realized where this particular habit came from - years of lullabies and muggle music sung to him offkey as he was woken up by his Dad. Neither Apollo nor his Dad were morning-people. No, Severus arose with the sun and learned the lesson to not disturbed his partner at such an hour early on in their relationship. Singing seemed to be the only thing that would keep his family upright long enough to consume breakfast and endure the day. This humming was yet another aching memory that Severus could not escape.   
Severus had always been a quiet creature, a nature that his occupation benefitted from. He gracefully made his way through his morning routine with practiced hands and a clear mind. Two copper bands encircled his left forearm, framing the hideous black mark that marred his ivory skin. Each morning he rubbed a soothing salve around the bands to aid his itching skin. While the bands, imbued with magic his husband spent years tracking down, trapped the magic of the Dark Lord rendering him out of the terrors grasp, the copper irritated his skin. Red marks around the band showed the irritated skin and had caused Severus to develop the annoying habit of scratching them when in thought.   
“Ready, Papa?” A timid and tired voice asked from his transfigured bed. The boy wore muggle jeans and a green t-shirt, bringing out his eyes. While Severus preferred wizarding attire, his husband did not and he had successfully tainted their son’s clothing tastes as well. Severus simply nodded and held the door open for the boy. “First floor on the right?”   
“Indeed.” As soon as he had opened the door they were greeted with the loud din of the Weasley family. Severus could make out five of the red-headed clan boisterously getting breakfast on the table while Molly tried and failed at containing their commotion. Granger was scolding Potter, no doubt she would have a book at the table as well.   
Severus opened the swinging door of the breakfast room and the room noticeably quieted. “Good morning, Severus, I heard we have a guest.” Molly wiped her hands on her apron and approached the two. “I am Molly, dear. And you are?”   
“I’m AJ Prince, ma’am, pleasure to meet you.” Apollo smiled shyly and reached his hand out to shake Mrs. Weasley’s hand. Potter’s head shot up at the name and narrowed his eyes at Snape. “Well aren’t you just a dear! I suppose with Severus as your father you would be a polite little man.” That was the declaration Severus had been waiting for, all heads turned to the boy. “You just take a seat and tuck right in, we’ll be going to Diagon Alley for school supplies shortly.”   
Granger smiled and handed AJ a plate. “How old are you, AJ?”   
The boy sat down and Severus followed suit. “12.” Snape silently filled his plate with fruit and picked through his selection. He wandlessly levitated the strawberries and cantaloupe to his son’s plate - they were his favorites, and the dour man was rewarded with a brilliant grin and a “thanks, Papa!”   
Granger kept pestering the boy, Snape should have known. “I don’t remember seeing you last year, were you at a different magic school?”   
AJ nodded, “Durmstrang. Papa didn’t want me at Hogwarts with him.” If Severus had not been a composed man, he would have groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.   
“Hogwarts has not the record of safest magical school, as I am sure the Golden Trio here is aware.” The response was nothing short of premeditated, a clear explanation he had been forced to give to many of his acquaintances over the years.   
Harry snorted, “and the school with a Death Eater headmaster is better?” Severus glowered at the young man, but it was not him that responded to the retort.   
“I believe you are referring to the former Headmaster. Headmistress Emilov is a former contact with the British Auror’s and worked alongside them to apprehend Death Eaters. She’s a former ambassador to MACUSA. She’s scary, but she’s no Death Eater, that’s for sure.” AJ answered and took a sip of milk.  
Hermione nodded along, “yes! I’ve read about her. She’s written several books on Defense Against the Dark Arts. In fact, her appointment to Headmistress is practically what kept the doors of Durmstrang open.”   
“Nevertheless, in order to fight something, one must understand it. There’s no use coddling children and pretending dangers do not exist.” Severus sipped his tea at the end of his proffered explanation for his son’s schooling. He knew that his decision to send Apollo to Durmstrang would have been the opposite of what his Dad would have wanted.   
As they enjoyed their breakfast, a burst of flames appeared at the center of the table. Wands were pointed at the flames within seconds, all but Harry’s and Severus’ that is. The two wizards recognized the familiar fire of Fawkes. The phoenix simply dropped a letter on Severus’ lap and disappeared in another burst of flames.   
Severus deftly opened the letter and scowled at its contents. The letter was a copy of the second-year supplies list. Albus was meddling. Again. “Papa?” Apollo questioned, concerned at his father’s sudden anger.   
The father took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He continued to weigh the pros and cons of the situation, whether it was even possible to send his boy away again. Whether he could continue to push him away when they had to be so close to everything coming together again. Whether their relationship could withstand them being apart, or together for that matter. But he knew for certain that when Apollo’s Dad returned and found their child was sent away their relationship would not be salvageable - whether he wanted it to be or not. “It appears we will be traveling alongside your future schoolmates to Diagon Alley after breakfast.”   
Apollo’s emerald eyes lit up brighter than Severus had seen in years. “Really, Papa? I get to go to Hogwarts?”   
Severus nodded and dropped the letter in his son’s lap before exiting the room. He needed a moment to collect himself before the shopping trip, and it seemed his son was right where he belonged.   
Unfortunately, Severus did not get his time to himself. When he entered his lab he was all too aware of the young man following him. “Professor Snape!”  
Snape turned, robes billowing out behind him, “what, Potter?” He snapped, he had no time for Potter’s entitled energies.   
Harry paused, not necessarily surprised by his professor’s ire, but started all the same. “I just, well I wanted to. Well, I mean-”  
“Spit it out, I don’t have all day.”   
“I just wanted to see if you had any news about my dream? And well, I know you are worried about AJ being at Hogwarts, and I wanted to let you know that we’ll look out for him. He seems like a good kid.” Severus honestly did not know how to respond to Potter’s pronouncement. Laughing, or crying, or yelling. Nothing seemed an accurate response to the utter mess that his life had become. So he stared at Harry, studied the flushed skin, his emerald eyes that were identical to his mother’s. He kept quiet while the boy scratched his neck and awkwardly waited for a reply - or something at least.   
Severus turned and began to summon ingredients. “I have several potions to finish for the infirmary. You and your friends tend to deplete the stock of skele-gro and blood-replenishers by the end of term.”  
“Oh-uhm. Right.” Harry didn’t pretend to understand the man on any given day, but the last 24 hours had proven the man to be more confusing than he had thought.  
The potions master turned and handed a knife to Harry “please prepare the scarab beetles and Chinese chomping cabbage.”  
Harry grinned and took the knife, he had brewed with the master several times during his training sessions. It was an honor to work alongside Severus, despite it being a daunting and sometimes ego-depleting task. That said, Severus shared most when he was brewing, and Harry knew that.   
“I have reached out to my contacts regarding the upcoming attack. The Dark Lord has yet to reveal any plan of attack in the near future. It seems he is more interested in infiltrating the Ministry of Magic at this time. There will be a new, ministry appointed teacher at Hogwarts this coming term.” The professor murmured the information quietly, and Harry could tell he was choosing his words carefully, obviously hiding something. “I would prefer my son to be as far away from the ministry in general and knowing they are under the influence of the Dark Lord complicates matters.” Harry was silently following along while he crushed beetles and chopped cabbage. “I want my son to be safe. But we have a mission, Mr. Potter. One we cannot be distracted from.”  
“Sir, are you telling me to stay away from AJ?”   
Severus sighed and collected the ingredients from Harry. “I’m saying that my son will never be truly safe until the Dark Lord’s horcruxes have been destroyed. We must remain vigilant in our efforts.”   
Harry nodded, “yes, sir. Of course. One more to go and the great snake is dead.”


End file.
